William helfenberger



Patented' Sept. 23, 1890.

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(No Model.)

A W. HELPBNBERGER. WIRE EASTENEE EOE EEEGE POSTS.

UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HELFENBERGER, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO ELLIS da HELFENBERGER, OF SAME PLACE.

WIRE-FASTENER FOR FENCE-POSTS,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,155, dated YSeptr-nnber 23, 1890.

Application filed October 30, 1889. Serial No. 328,688. (No modelJ To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HELFENBER- GER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Fasteners for Fence-Posts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to Wire fences, and is especially intended as an improvement upon a wire-fastener for fence-posts, the obj ect of the invention being to provide a wire-fastener which shall be cheap, simple, and durable, which may be quickly attached to any fencepost, and which may be quickly released from the wire of the fence when it is desired t0 tighten it, and after tightening may be again thrown into engagement therewith.

In wire-fence construction it has heretofore been customary to secure the wires to the line-posts by means of staples driven into said posts and clinched and around the wires; also, to bore holes transversely through the post, through which the wires are threaded, and also to form notches in the sides of the post, into which the wires, after stretching, are seated. In all of these constructions great difficulty has been experienced, especially in the rst two constructions, in stretching the wires to take up expansion that may occur after erection of the fence, as in drawing the wires taut they catch upon the staples or edges of the holes, thus preventing the wires from sliding through, which will necessarily twist or throw the posts out of vertical alignment. With my improved wire-fastener this dificultyis entirely overcome, as will be hereinafter described.

My invention consists in certain details of construction and in the special arrangement of the said fastener and parts of the fence, substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 illustrates a fence-post as provided with my improved wirefastener; Fig. 2, a detail showing it applied to another style of post; Fig. 3, another detail of a modification, and Fig. 4 a detail of a modified form of fastener.

In the drawings, A represents the fence post, which is preferably constructed of flat bar-iron, with a suitablehbase B, as shown.

O represents the fence-wire, and D the wire fastener.

The wire-fasteners D are preferably cona structed of malleable iron, are hook-shaped, and pivoted or bolted to the side of the post, as shown at d', in such manner that they may Vloe swung outward or inward, so that their outer hook-shaped ends (Z2 may be engaged with or disengaged from the wires, said hookshaped end being made to encircle the wires after they are drawn taut and holding them in place against the post. These fasteners D will preferably be pivoted to the posts with their hook ends down, so that if a bearing strain is exerted upon the wires the fasteners will be forced downward, their points overlapping the side edges of the posts and tightly impinging the wires between the hooks and posts. Thus it will be seen that by my construction I not only providel a wire-fastener that maybe quickly engaged with or removed from engagement with the wire to hold the wire and allow the same to be tightened, but that I provide a device that will conform to any style or diameter of wire and'one that will hold the wire against accidental displacement.

This construction of fastener for wires reduces the expense of construction of a fence, and also adds to its strength, as it obviates drilling or punching wire-holesy when metal posts are used, which drilling is expensive and greatly weakens the post, and another advantage is that it may be quickly attached to any kind of a post and made applicable to wires irrespective of the styles or diameters.

In the drawings, Fig. 4, I have shown the wire-fastener as provided at its hook end with a projection f to engage the rear edge of the post to prevent accidental displacement and as provided with a projection f to engage the inner face of the wire. This projection f will only be formed upon hooks not having the projection f at the end to engage the post, its function being to catch and hold the wire in case the hook-shaped fastening,r should accidentally be swung outward and upward.

The pivot d will be cast integral with the fastener and be upset at its end to secure the fastener to the post. Casting the pivot integral with the fastener is a matter of great desideratuin, as it cheapens the cost of manufacture, and, as said fastening,r is made of 1nal-. leable iron, it permits the pivot to be readily upset, obviating any looseness, and prevents accidental displacement of the fastening.

I claiml. The combination, with the post A, of the pivoted hook-shaped fastener D, having the projection f at its end to engage the rear side VILLIAM IIELFENBERGER.

Witnesses:

N. E. C. WmrNEv,

JOSEPH A, MiN'rURN. 

